Homemade Mixed Berry Jam Recipe (2024)

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This Homemade Mixed Berry Jamcanning recipe is so delicious you’ll want to put it on everything from pancakes and toast to waffles and ice cream. Or eat it right fromthe jar!

And make sure you sterilize your jam jars correctly!

It's a family tradition to pick fresh berries from the local farms around the area on Father's Day.

That's why we had to make this Easy Mixed Berry Jam!

With all the strawberries we picked this year (in 90-degree heat, mind you), we made one of our favorite small batch jams - Strawberry Chia Seed Jam. Without any added refined sugar, this stuff is healthy and fabulous!

Traditional jam making is so amazing because you get to enjoy fresh fruit all winter long! Plus, the berries have natural pectin in them, which thickens the jam after it cooks and cools, so there’s no need for adding extra pectin.

This jam is fantastic on everything from pancakes and waffles to toast and ice cream. Not to mention on yogurt parfaits!

Please note: Since this is a pectin-free jam, it doesn't set like a jam that uses pectin.

Giving Homemade Jam for Gifts

We make a big batch because berry jam is excellent for homemade gifts.

Christmas gifts.
Hostess gifts.
Teacher gifts.
You name it. This jam makes a great gift for it 🙂

To make your gift pretty and functional, include a tag with the name of your jam and the "made on" date!

How To Make Homemade Fruit Jam

This triple berry jam recipe doesn't use pectin. We saw so many recipes that didn't call for it, so we decided to try it. We prefer to keep the sugar to a minimum, so we went with a recipe with a high ratio of berries to sugar.

It turned out perfect! And with less sugar than most recipes.

You can experiment with different ratios of berries depending on your preference and what's ripe at the time.

Step 1: Get your canning jars ready

Have ready six hot, sterilized half-pint jars and their lids.

Here's how to sterilize jars for preserving.

Step 2: Marinate your berries

Place your washed and dried berries and sugar in a large bowl. Gently stir together and let sit for 10-15 minutes. Marinating the berries in the sugar before cooking brings out the flavorful fruit juices.

Step 3: Cook your berries

Gently stir together the berries and fresh lemon juice in a large nonreactive saucepan.

Bring to a full rolling boil over medium-high heat, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently and removing any foam* with a wooden spoon until the jam has thickened, about 15 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Step 4: Place in sterile jars

Ladle the hot triple berry jam into the jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace (space at the top of the jar). Remove any air bubbles. Get the lids warming in a hot water bath (but not boiling).

Wipe the rims clean with a clean, damp cloth and seal tightly with the lids.

Step 5: Seal your jars

Put the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Make sure the jars are covered in water.

A jar lifter is the easiest way to take the hot jars out of the water.

How to tell if jam is done cooking?

Here's a little trick.

Place a few metal spoons or a small plate in the freezer when you start cooking. Then, add a small amount of the cooked jam to the back of one frozen spoon or plate and see if the jam thickens to your desired consistency.

If it is set and doesn’t run, you’re good to go.

If it’s too runny, cook and test again in 5-minute increments until the jam sets to your liking.

How long can you store jam?

You can store the sealed jars in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. If a seal has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

This recipe makes six delicious half-pint jars of jam.

Cooking Notes:

The fruit tends to bubble up while cooking. A great way to remove the foam is with a spoon.
Since this is low sugar, pectin-free jam recipe, it tends to be a little runnier than traditional versions.
DO NOT increase or double the 3 berry jam recipe because the jam won't "set" (jell, thicken).
You place jar lids in a pan of hot water for several minutes to soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids. However, newer lids do not need this step.

Can you Make Jam out of Frozen Summer Fruit?

Frozen fruit has a higher water content than fresh fruit, making homemade jam runnier.

For best results, we recommend fresh fruit in this recipe. However, you can use frozen berries if you increase the sugar to 4 cups.

You Will Love These Easy Homemade Jam Recipes:

Strawberry Chia Seed Jam

Blackberry Chia Seed Jam

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Printable Recipe

Homemade Mixed Berry Jam Recipe

This Homemade Mixed Berry Jam recipe can be made with a variety of berries.

Equipment

▢
canning jars
▢
saucepan

Ingredients

▢ 4 cups raspberries
▢ 4 cups blackberries
▢ 4 cups blueberries
▢ 3 cups sugar
▢ ¾ cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Have ready 6 hot, sterilized half-pint jars and their lids.
Place the berries and sugar in a large bowl. Gently stir together and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
In a large nonreactive saucepan, gently stir together the berries and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently and removing any foam, until the jam has thickened, about 15 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Ladle the hot jam into the jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids.
Put the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. Make sure the jars are covered in water. The sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. If a sealed has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Makes 6 half-pint jars.
Adapted from The Art of Preserving, by Lisa Atwood, Rebecca Courchesne & Rick Field (Weldon Owen, 2010).

Notes

Cooking Notes:

The fruit tends to bubble up while cooking. Just remove the foam with a spoon.
Since this is a low-sugar, pectin-free recipe, it tends to be a little runnier than traditional versions.
DO NOT increase or double the recipe because the jam won't "set" (jell, thicken).
You place jar lids in a pan of hot water for several minutes to soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids.

★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

***Please note the nutrition information is calculated per jar.

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Tried this recipe?Mention @Suburban_Simplicity or tag #suburbansimplicity!

This article was enhanced with more tips and resources in May 2019.

CanningBasics

No worries, If you've never canned anything before, don't be afraid to start. Once you know the basics, you'll be on your way to canning all your summer fruit and much more!

The benefits of Canning:

Gain control of the ingredients, including organic fruits and vegetables.
Preserve foods at their freshest point, which locks in nutrition.
The final product is chemical and preservative-free.
Store-bought brands just can't match the wonderful flavor of homemade!

This post contains affiliate links. Disclosure policy here.

Basic Canning Supplies:

Mason Jars - either ½ pint jars or 8 oz jars work well
Funnel -for filling regular and wide-mouth canning jars
Jar lifter - easily removes hot jars from the hot water
Magnetic lid lifter - removes canning lids from hot water
Bubble remover - for releasing trapped air bubbles

A great resource to get you started with all the basics of home preserving and step-by-step instruction is The All New Ball Book Of Canning And Preserving: Over 350 of the Best Canned, Jammed, Pickled, and Preserved Recipes. We'reexcited, blueberries are just about to come into season, so the canning supplies will be coming out again soon!

Have you canned jam before? What other fruits or vegetables do you preserve?

FAQs

What is the ratio of sugar to berries for jam? ›

(2)Most jam recipes call for a 1:1 ratio of fruit to sugar. I usually use a 75 % ratio, or 1 ½ pounds of sugar to every 2 pounds of fruit, unless the fruit is not very sweet, in which case, I adjust accordingly.

Show Me More ›

What is the secret to making jam? ›

The Magic of Macerating

One of my favorite tricks for jam-making is macerating the fruit first. Macerating is the process of coating the fruit in sugar and letting it rest for a few hours or overnight, which pulls some of the juice out of the fruit and creates a syrup with the sugar.

View Details ›

What is the best sugar to fruit ratio for jam? ›

Over-ripe or damaged fruit is not ideal - the jam will not set well and is likely to deteriorate rapidly. The amount of sugar you need to make jam depends on the amount of pectin in your chosen fruit, but generally the fruit-to-sugar ratio for traditional jams is 1:1 (ie. 450g/1lb sugar to 450g/1lb fruit).

Keep Reading ›

Does lemon juice thicken jam? ›

Lemon is crucial to balancing those sweet flavors, but it also helps the pectin to firm up the jam. It can be added at the start of the cooking process or towards the end, but what must be taken into account is that adding liquids to the jam mixture will inevitably require the jam to cook for longer.

Get More Info Here ›

Will adding more sugar thicken jam? ›

Jams made from fruits with higher sugar content thicken on their own more easily than those with less sugar. A no-sugar or low-sugar recipe might not call for enough sugar to naturally thicken the jam, even at a rolling boil.

View Details ›

What happens if you put too much sugar in jam? ›

Jam recipes mostly comprise equal weights of fruit and sugar. You can play with this 1:1 ratio as much as you want, but too much fruit and you may lose the preserving effects of the sugar; too much sugar and it may crystallise during storage.

Learn More ›

Should you stir jam while it's boiling? ›

5. Do Not Stir Once Mixture Is Boiling. Once your jam/marmalade it has reached a rapid rolling boil do not stir it. Stirring it will alter the temperature of the jam/marmalade meaning it will take longer to reach the setting point.

Why do you put vinegar in jam? ›

Cider vinegar is a fairly mild vinegar and is used mainly to offset the sweetness of the sugar. The acid in the vinegar also helps the pectin in the jam sugar to set.

See Details ›

Why put butter in jam making? ›

Add the butter, which will help disperse any foam which is a natural part of jam making. The butter helps minimise this, and disperses any foam back into the jam. Bring to a rapid, rolling boil for four minutes. Don't be afraid of the rolling boil, this is crucial to producing a jam that will set.

What happens if you put less sugar in jam? ›

Less sugar may allow for greater bacterial growth. As a result, process times may be longer for these low-sugar or no-sugar jams and jellies. Some pectin products include preservatives to reduce bacterial growth, as well as to preserve color.

Do I need pectin if I use jam sugar? ›

Jam sugar is like the superhero version of regular sugar, with added pectin and sometimes citric acid to help your jam set perfectly with the ideal texture. Pectin is a natural thickener found in fruit, but some fruits are low in pectin and don't contain enough of it to make a good jam.

Explore More ›

What can I use instead of pectin? ›

Pectin Substitute

Cornstarch - Another plant-based thickening agent, cornstarch is a great substitute for pectin. Gelatin - For non-vegan menu items, you can substitute gelatin for pectin, but it will yield a different consistency.

Find Out More ›

What happens if you don't put lemon juice in jam? ›

It's Not Only About Pectin

There's another reason why lemon juice is added to most jam recipes: for safe canning and to prevent the growth of bacteria. Bringing the pH level down means jars can be sealed in a regular boiling water bath in a reasonable amount of time (sometimes as little as 10 minutes).

Can I use cornstarch instead of pectin to make jam? ›

Some of my favourite jam flavours are mixed berries, peach and cherry. This jam recipe is made without pectin. Cornflour (or cornstarch) combined with lemon juice is a great alternative to pectin. It thickens up jam really well, combined with the sugar and heat.

Is citric acid or lemon juice better for jam? ›

This gives an additional pop of pectin but also some acidity that balances the sweetness of the jam. Citric acid provides very consistent results, which is why I like to use it. If using lemon juice, I would recommend Real Lemon lemon juice as this will provide more consistent results than fresh lemon juice.

Find Out More ›

What is the ratio of pulp to sugar for the preparation of jam? ›

It can be prepared from one kind of fruit or from two or more kinds.In its preparation about 45% of fruit pulp should be used for every 55% of sugar. The FPO specification of jam is 68.5% TSS, 45% of fruit pulp and 0.5-0.6% of acid (citric acid) per 100 gm of the prepared product. Select good quality ripe fruits.

Get More Info Here ›

What is the sugar to fruit ratio for canning? ›

The ratio between fruit and sugar varies: with sweet fruits, it's about 2:1 (2 kilos of fruit, 1 of sugar), while with more bitter fruits like oranges, it should be more like 3:2. If uncertain, it's better to round up with the sugar.